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Celebrating 40 Years Of Growing Grapes On Bainbridge Island

June 27, 2017

Winemaker and viticulturist Betsey Wittick tills the organic-certified vineyard at Bainbridge Vineyards with clean and efficient old-fashioned horse power. She is credited as the first person in the state to employ draft horses in this manner and has been doing it this way for decades. Photo by Joel Sackett
The vineyards have been Certified Organic since 2014 and are now utilizing a few bio-dynamic practices such as sheep and chickens in the vineyards for weed maintenance. Photo by Washington Tasting Room Magazine
Betsey Wittick trims and sheers the vines with precision, using only a Christmas tree knife and lightning-fast moves. Photo by Washington Tasting Room Magazine

THIS SUMMER marks the 40th year of grape growing on Bainbridge Island, defying the commonly held belief that grapes “can’t grow” on this side of the Cascade Mountain Range.

Gerard and JoAnn Bentryn founded Bainbridge Island Vineyards and Winery in 1977, after being inspired by their study of grape growing and wine making in Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. After falling in love with the elegant, aromatic wines of the Loire in France and the Mosul in Germany, the Bentryn’s were searching for a bioregion with similar grape growing conditions. They chose to settle in the Puget Sound, and strived to create an experience of food and wine deeply rooted in place, right here in the Pacific Northwest.

The Bentryn’s planted their first grape vines, 40 years ago, on their one-acre vineyard in downtown Winslow on Bainbridge Island-the summer of 1977. They released their first estate-grown wine in 1982, becoming the 84th bonded winery in Washington State. That year, the Bentryn’s also purchased farmland on Day Road. The Day Road vineyard would become the present-day home of the winery, planted with seven acres of grape varieties carefully selected for their ability to thrive in the cool Maritime Northwest climate. As part of the Bentryns’ pioneering work in the region’s grape-growing movement, Gerard was instrumental in the formation of the Puget Sound Viticultural Area (AVA)/Appellation in 1995.

This plot map illustrates the various small farms and vineyards that surround the winery on the historic 40-acre farm. Photo by Washington Tasting Room Magazine

The Day Road acreage where the winery currently sits was purchased by the Bentryns from Japanese-American farmer Akio Suyematsu, founded in 1928. Excepting the period of Japanese-American exclusion during World War II, the Day Road farm is the oldest, continuously farmed property in Kitsap County. Akio himself worked the land until his passing in 2012, and was an honored mentor to an emerging generation of Island farmers. Once part of the agricultural tradition that made Bainbridge Island the strawberry capital of the Northwest, the land is still tended by several working farms.

Manicured landscaping adorns the grounds at the popular tasting room and winery. Photo by Washington Tasting Room Magazine

After the Bentryns retired in 2013, longtime friend and employee Betsey Wittick reopened the vineyards and winery under new cooperative ownership. Betsey began growing grapes and making wine with the Bentryns in 1989. As winemaker and viticulturist at Bainbridge Vineyards, Betsey is committed to seeing locally grown wine production remain an important asset to the community.

“My interest in horticulture, local foods and wine, fit right into Gerard’s original vision of being a totally estate-grown winery,” says Betsey, who leased the farm property when the Bentryns retired and reopened under the re-tooled brand of Bainbridge Vineyards.

Bainbridge Vineyards continues to thrive at the Day Road location. The vineyards have been Certified Organic since 2014 and are now utilizing a few bio-dynamic practices such as sheep and chickens in the vineyards for weed maintenance. Bainbridge Vineyards also relies on two Suffolk Punch draft horses, Red and Abbey around the farm.

Tour & Taste at Bainbridge Vineyards

The tasting room is open Fridays through Sundays 12-5 and additional hours seasonally. A variety of local snacks are for sale in the tasting room and picnic grounds are available. Bainbridge Vineyards wines are now distributed both locally and regionally.

Written by Cristina McGinnis Widman

Read about all seven Bainbridge Island wineries in this touring article here.

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About the Magazine

Tasting Room® magazine is the ultimate authority on the Washington wine scene and your personal tour guide to wineries, vineyards, destinations and travel tips, and artisan foods, chefs and artists. In short, Tasting Room is a metaphor for life’s simple pleasures that pair remarkably well with wine—touring, food, travel, culture, recreation and people.

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